Count Ronikie? Research question

[StefanM]

In his trial Nuremberg testimony dr. Hans Frank mentions a Polish committee headed by a Count Ronikie, does anyone have any information about the Count? An internet search only seems to point to references in Frank's trial statement. But I did find a reference to Ronikier, h. Gryf which might be the same Count, Ronikie being a trial transcript typo in the name. Any help will be greatly appreciated.



Nuremberg Testimony of Hans Frank
Hans Frank was examined by his defense attorney, Dr. Alfred Seidl.
[Testimony on 4/18/1946]

DR. SEIDL: Were there representatives of the Polish and Ukrainian population in the Government General?

FRANK: Yes. The representation of the Polish and Ukrainian population was on a regional basis, and I united the heads of the bodies of representatives from the various districts in the so-called subsidiary committees. There was a Polish and an Ukrainian subsidiary committee. Count Ronikie was the head of the Polish committee for a number of years, and at the head of the Ukrainian committee was Professor Kubiowicz.


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Count Adam Feliks Ronikier (1 November 1881, Warsaw – 4 September 1952, Orchard Lake, Michigan) was a Polish count and conservative politician.

During the World War I, he was a president of the Central Welfare Council (Rada Główna Opiekuńcza) in the period 1916-1918 in Kingdom of Poland, and again during the World War II from June 1940 to October 1943 in General Government. The Council received financial supply both from the German authorities and (clandestinely) from the Polish Government in Exile.

In December 1943, he met Horace Coock, British political agent in Warsaw. In February 1944, Ronikier was arrested by Gestapo in Cracow for three weeks. In July 1944, he again discussed with SS-Obersturmbannführer Hans Gerd Schindhelm to save lives of many thousands of Polish young people in Warsaw who were ready to fight against Germans to the death without any chance to win. Count Ronikier had presented an idea to end a German occupation of Warsaw without military combat – Polish Home Army takes Warsaw from German hands. It was supported by some German politicians and field officers (almost like the liberation of Paris in August 1944). Finally, the Warsaw Uprising broke out on 1st of August 1944.

He left Poland on 18 January 1945, because of threat of arrest and possible death penalty, just before the Soviet army drove the German forces from Cracow. He died in exile in the United States.

Now I wonder who was "Horace Coock, British political agent in Warsaw.'??

[Gunny Hartmann]

Horace Coock an alias perhaps?...

[StefanM]

British political agent in Warsaw 1943....intriguing. Need another trip to the National Archives

Count Ronikier (below) was co-founder of "Stronnictwa Narodowego" with Roman Dmowski.

[A.J. Zawadzki]

Very interesting topic. Ronikier, Retinger, Skarbek, and others. . . so much still to learn about the secret negotiations, back room deals, covert intelligence operations, spies and intrigue of those days all those decades ago.

Regards,
Tony

[StefanM]

What i find intriguing is if Count Ronikier was negotiating with Obersturmbannführer Hans Gerd Schindhelm on some kind of deal for the Home Army to take over Warsaw from German control and thus saving Varsovian youth who were planning to rise up aganst the German occupiers, then why were the Germans not preparing for this planned rising? Part of the reason the rising was given the green light was because the Germans were leaving the city in droves ahead on the Red Army's advancing front which looked unstoppable as it rolled through Eastern Poland.

And why is there no wide mention of Count Ronikier's efforts in the general histography of the Warsaw Rising as he seems to have played a important role in trying to save Warsaw and Varsovians from the destruction that a rising would bring upon about.

SS-Obersturmbannführer Hans Gerd Schindhelm (born 5.7.1908 in Dresden) was former officer of the Einzatsgruppe (later Sonderkommando) 8 and Chef in Krakau from 15-11-1943 untill 16-01-1945. Schindhelm described himself as a "butcher of Krakau".